Ayomide Awe
The Kano State Police Command has denied allegations that it blocked members of the ‘Tinubu Must Go’ movement from accessing a venue for their planned gathering, insisting that its intervention was driven by security concerns.
The Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Bakori, said the command recognised the constitutional right of citizens to peaceful assembly but maintained that notifying the police would enable officers to make adequate security arrangements for the event, which was expected to attract about 700 participants.
The denial followed a protest on Sunday by members of the movement, who accused the police of preventing them from gaining access to a private facility they had reportedly paid to use for their meeting.
Led by the movement’s convener, Abba Hikima, the protesters subsequently took to the streets, chanting “Tinubu Must Go” and waving flags bearing the movement’s insignia.
In a live video shared on his verified Facebook page, Hikima alleged that more than 10 mobile police vehicles had been deployed to the venue to prevent members from entering the facility.
He described the alleged blockade as an infringement on their civic rights, arguing that citizens were not required to obtain police permission before organising a peaceful gathering.
However, Bakori, in an interview with DCL Hausa, said he contacted Hikima after learning about the planned event on social media and invited him to discuss security arrangements with the command.
According to the commissioner, he also asked the organisers to postpone the gathering pending further discussions but received no response to subsequent calls.
Bakori insisted that the police had no intention of denying the group its right to assemble, adding that the command had provided security for its activities on previous occasions.
“It is their right to come and organise their gathering. Nobody will stop them, and the law does not require them to inform us,” the commissioner said.
He, however, stressed that notifying the police was important to enable the command to anticipate possible security threats and prevent a breakdown of law and order.
“However, notifying us is important because it allows us to regulate the event and ensure there is no tension,” he added.
The police chief cited a recent security incident in Kano’s Sabon Gari area, where he said officers seized weapons and arrested some individuals who claimed to have travelled to the state for political activities.
He said investigations into the incident were ongoing, stressing that the command’s priority was to protect the organisers, their supporters and other residents.
The movement, however, maintained its opposition to the police action, with Hikima criticising the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, and Bakori over what he described as the interference of political considerations in the discharge of their duties.
Hikima insisted that the alleged blockade violated the movement’s rights and vowed that its members would continue to organise protests and demonstrations.
The development has brought renewed attention to the balance between citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly and the responsibility of security agencies to maintain public order, particularly as political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections.
While the police commissioner denied ordering a ban on the gathering, the movement’s allegations have raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the reported deployment of security personnel to the venue.
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